Welcome to the first installment of our Successful Aging Series! In this episode of Pet Talk, Dr. Sarah addresses one of the most frightening and heartbreaking illnesses that afflict companion animals – cancer. According to the most recent data, nearly four million dogs will be diagnosed with cancer this year, which is why we’re dedicating an entire episode to “the C-word”. To aid you in your quest to help your fur kids age successfully, Dr. Sarah shares the latest news about our current understanding of how companion animals age and the obstacles they encounter later in life. Additionally, Dr. Sarah discusses prevalent pet cancers, what sorts of treatments are available now, and groundbreaking research into potential therapies and preventatives. Don’t miss this episode, as you’ll also discover news from the National Cancer Institute about its ambitious agenda to eradicate this silent killer. We encourage you to share this timely and vital message with your friends and family!

Enjoying daily activity without stiffness and pain is key to our companion animals living “the good life” in their Golden Years. Because joint stiffness, muscle loss, pain and weakness can negatively impact quality of life, maintaining good mobility and strength is vital for better ‘healthspans’, a term we introduced last month, which refers to leading longer, healthier lifetimes.

In companion animals of a certain age, bodily systems start to degrade, breaking down at a cellular level. Just like in the whisper-circle game, where one person tells another a simple message, which is then repeated to each successive person … invariably, the message changes over the course of multiple re-tellings. Similarly, the cells are replicating over and over again, and after so many redo’s, the genetic messages become garbled. On the macroscopic scale, this means a loss of strength and mobility. More...

We’re very excited to bring you news of another financial award given by the Dr. Jane’s HealthyPetNet Foundation. This month’s highlighted organization is the Pompano Beach-headquartered Noah’s Ark Sanctuary for Abandoned and Abused Animals, an animal rescue working hard to re-home dogs and cats and to curtail pet overpopulation.

What began as a husband-and-wife team working part-time has now blossomed into a full-time network of dedicated rescue workers. After moving to South Florida from Tennessee in 1996, Barbara and Jim Beeson discovered that their fellow Pompano Beachers were offering up haphazard care for a feral cat colony. While food and emergency veterinary care were being irregularly covered, no spaying or neutering was taking place. The Beesons recognized that this small colony could grow to epic proportions, and that someone needed to act fast to prevent the development of a crisis scenario. Ultimately, with the tireless assistance of Barbara’s mom, Bette Walston, and local attorney Thornton Scott, Noah’s Ark Sanctuary for Abused and Abandoned Animals was officially founded. Since that time, their efforts have made a significant impact, recognized by both community leaders and governmental agencies. More...

You may have heard about the recent pet food recalls in the news and have some questions about salmonella poisoning. Although no Life's Abundance products are involved in this recall, we want to make sure you are aware of this current situation, as you may have friends who feed their companion animals one of the brands involved. In this video, Dr. Sarah discusses the details of this most recent recall and provides you with the information you need to know about the salmonella bacteria - including symptoms of salmonella poisoning and preventative measures to help avoid the further spread of infection. Watch this important video message and pass it on to your fellow pet parents.

I am truly saddened to hear of the current pet food recall concerning possible salmonella contamination. I have seen firsthand the devastating effects of this kind of infection in dogs and cats. Our hearts go out to the pet parents who are right now sitting on “pins and needles”, worrying about the health of their companion animals.

As part of our unwavering commitment to the health and well-being of all companion animals, we want to take time to alert you about this unfortunate situation.

Here’s what we know so far. According to the FDA, Diamond Pet Foods and other brands produced at their Gaston, South Carolina facility between December 9, 2011 and April 7, 2012 have voluntarily recalled dry dog and cat foods due to potential salmonella contamination. This recall affects the following pet food brands:

The scale of this recall is massive … products were distributed to customers in 41 states (Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Connecticut, DC, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Vermont, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming) and may have been further distributed to other states through various pet food channels.

Symptoms of salmonella infection in pets include decreased appetite, fever (possibly quite high), lethargy and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dogs and cats may experience vomiting and/or diarrhea (sometimes bloody), and they may refuse food or water. If you know a pet exhibiting any of these symptoms, please contact a veterinarian immediately.

Keep in mind that infected – but otherwise healthy – pets can still be carriers of the disease, potentially infecting other companion animals and humans. You should always thoroughly wash your hands after handling your pet’s food and touching surfaces that might have been exposed to the contaminated products. Since these bacteria can also be present in the feces of your dog or cat, you should dispose of it carefully. According to the Center for Disease Control, 14 people in nine states have been infected with the outbreak strain of Salmonella Infantis.

For complete information on these recalls, we encourage you to visit the FDA’s web site at http://www.fda.gov/Safety/Recalls/default.htm.

Please be assured that this recall does not affect any of our Life’s Abundance products. We are fully confident that our products are completely safe. As you know, we employ numerous safety and quality controls to ensure the highest quality of our products.

When a recall occurs, many pet food companies rely on the media to inform consumers. However, people lead busy lives and often they are not aware of news reports or articles, which can lead to an extremely unfortunate situation for affected pet parents and their companion animals.

The good news for Life’s Abundance customers is that we employ an unparalleled, quick-response system. If we need to share information about a product with our customers, we can do it quickly and effectively. Thanks to our unique distribution system, we are able to pinpoint the lot numbers which identify the individual products shipped to each of our customers. Because we maintain databases with our customer's contact information, we can email them immediately about any issues with their products, should they arise. Also, through our automatic Interactive Voice Response system, we are able to call hundreds of our customers anywhere in the country within just a few hours. At Life’s Abundance, we believe informed consumers make for healthy pets!

Thank you for taking the time to read this important post, and thank you for all that you do to make the world a better place for companion animals.